Fan attachment for rocking-chairs.



Patented lune l2, I900.

No. 65l,72l.

F. C. &. G. E. MERTZ.

FAN ATTACHMENT FOR ROCKING CHAIRS.

(Application filed. Nov. 2, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

IN VE N 70/75 wigfxo \Z: AJTOHNEYS THE NORRIS vzrzns cu. mmoumo. WASHINGTON. b. c.

No. 651,72l. Patented lune I2, 1900.

F. c. a a. E. MERTZ.

FAN ATTACHMENT FOR ROCKING dHAIRS.

(Application filed Nov. 2, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 THE norms PETERS 00.. F'NOTO-UTHD.. qASmNGI'cu. w. c.

U ITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS o. MERTZ AND GEORGE E. MERTZ, 0E PORT oHEsrER, NEW YORK.

FAN ATTACHMENT Foal ROCKING-CHAIRS.

' smeiaemon forming part of Letters Patent No. 651,721, dated June 12, 1900.

Application filed November 2. i899. Serial No. 735,610. on, model.)

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that we, FRANCIS C. MERTZ and GEORGE E. MERTZ, citizens of the United States, and residents of Port Chester, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Fan Attachment for Rocking-Ohairs,of which the following is a full, clear, and'exact de-" ing-chair having ourdevice attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the operating parts of our device. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the same, taken oppositely to the a view shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is a sectional elevation of the operatingmechanism of our device, taken at right angles to that of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a modified construction, and Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 6 Got Fig. 5

The object of our invention is to produce a device which maybe attached toany rock-' ing-chair and which is adapted bythe act of rocking the chair to rotate a set of fans mounted to turn upon thechair, said operating mechanism being so constructed as to assure a steady and continuous rotary movement of the fans by the intermittent movement of the rocker. This result is secured by the insertion of a spring between the operating mechanism and the fan, said spring being wound up by the movement of the rocker and running down as the fan-carrying shaft is turned.

The operating mechanism is mounted upon a frame which has a flange or plate A, adapted to be secured along, one side of the rocker. This plate has flanges a, adapted to bear upon the upper surface of the rocker, and thus to securely hold the frame in place. An upward extension of said frame forms a case A,

within which are mounted the spring and the" gears by which action is communicated from the spring to the fan-carrying shaft K.

Extending centrally through the case A is ,a shaft B, which is journaled in the sides of the case. The spring H, which is placed within this case and one end of which is se cured to the shaft B, is a coiled spring of that character commonly used in clocks and is 'of such a size as to furnish the proper amount of power for the purpose desired. The spring lies within the hollow formed at theback of the bevel-gear G, having flanges G, which surround the spring, the outer end of the spring being secured to the gear. The gear meshes with a bevel-pinion I, secured to the lower end of a short shaft I, extending through suitable bearings in the upper in one end of an arm 0, which extends from the outer end of a boss 0, secured to or formed asapart of the lower portion of the frame A. Upon the upper end of the arm 0 is pivotally secured one end of a detent or friction-dog f, the outer end of which engages the inner periphery of the rim of a friction-wheel F upon the shaft 13 outside of the case A, said dog being held in engagement with the rim of the wheel by means of a spring f (See Fig. 2.) This dog will permit the friction-wheel to be freely turned in one direction, but will engage it and prevent its turning'in the opposite direction.

Loosely mounted upon the shaft B and be- V the floor. Surrounding the boss 0, upon tion to the dog f, previously described, and

which engages the friction-wheel F to turn it' when the pinion E isturned in one direction, but which is released therefrom without turning the same when the-pinion is turned in the 5 The dog f is pressed on opposite direction. by a springf (See Fig. 2.

Upon the upper portion of the frame or the casingA' is secured an arm L, adapted to be secured to one of the legs of the rocker, thus firmly securing the device in place.

The operation of our device is as follows: Beginning with the position shown in Fig. 1, if the chair be rocked backward the segmentbar D will turn the pinion E, which in turn,

by means of the friction dog or clutch f, will engage and turn the friction-wheel F,'and' this wheel being secured to the shaft B will. 5

wind up the spring H'. The backward movement of the shaft B is prevented by means of the'dog f. As soon as the strain upon the spring'H is sufficient to overcome the resistance of the mechanism and the fans 0 the fans will be turned, the speed at which the fans will turn depending upon the tightness with which the spring H is coiled." As the speed of operation of the rocker increases thespring H will be coiled more tightly and the fans 0 will be turned more rapidly.

It is ordinarily intended that the device when in operation will have the spring H partly Tcoiled up,so that irregularities in the rocking of the. chair will be compensated for by the spring, the same maintaining a steady operation of the fan even if therocking of the chair be momentarily stopped. The upper end of'the rod K, which carries the fans,

of an ordinary screw-eye, as shown at k. A In Figs. 5 and 6 a modified construction is shown in which two segment-barsD and D are used, each of said bars acting upon separate pinions E and E, as shown in Fig. 6, and being provided with friction-dogs f and f, adapted to engage the friction-wheel F. In

thisrformof construction the movement of the rocker forward as well as backward will serve to wind up the spring. With this form of construction the detent or friction dog f, described in connection withthe construction "shown in Figs. 2- and 3, will not be necessary,

as one or the other of the friction-dogs f and fwill be in operation to prevent backward rotation of the shaft. In this form of construction a more powerful spring than that tween the operating mechanism and the fan- 1a spring therein, sec'urable to the rocker of the chair, a gear secured to one end of the spring, a shaft secured to the other end'of the spring, a pinion engaging the gear and connected with the fan-holding shaft to turn it, a pinion having a clutch connection with the shaft, and a toothed segmentbar pivoted: upon the chair to swing in engagement with said last-mentioned pinion and having one end adapted to engagethe floor, substantially asdescribed. l

"2: A fan attachment for rocking-chairs, comprising a fan-holding shaft, means for mounting the shaft upon the chairfa spring and its case securablejto the bottom'part of the chair, a gear secured to one end of the 7 spring, a shaft secured to the other end of the *spring, a pinion engaging the gear, a swivel connection between said pinion and the fan- ,holding shaft to'tu-rn it, a pinion having a clutch connection withthe shaft, and a toothed'segment-bar pivoted upon the chair to swing in engagement with said last-mentioned pinion and having one end adapted to en'gagethe floor, substantially as described.

[3. A fan attachment for'ro'cking-chairs, comprising a fan-holding shaftadapted'to be mounted 'onthe chair back, an operating device comprising a power storage spring, swivel connections therefrom tothe fan-hold ing shaft to turn it, an arm'pivotall'y supported from the chair and adapted "to engagethe floor, and rotative clutch connection from- :said arm to the-power-stora'ge spring, sub-- stantially as described.

mounted upon the chair, an armor lever pivotally supported upon the chair, andadaptedi to engage the floor, a mechanism for converting the oscillations of said arm into rotary motion,and a power-storage springinterposed between a rotating member of said mechanism and the fan-holdin shaft. to turn the latter, substantially as described. p

5. A fan attachment for rocking-chairs, comprising a fan-holdingshaft adapted to be mounted upon the chair, an arm or lever pivotally supported upon the chair and adapted to engage the floor, a spring acting upon thesaid arm'jto hold it downward or in engage-- ment with the floor, a mechanism for concomprising a fan-holding shaft adapted to be mounted upon the chair, an operating device comprising a power-storage spring, swivel connections therefrom to the fan holding shaft to turn it, an arm pivotally supported from the chair and adaptedto engage the floor, a spring acting upon said armin opposition said shaft, a spring connected at opposite ends to the shaft and gear, a pinion mounted to turn upon the shaft, a clutch-pulley secured to the shaft, a clutch-dog carried by the pinion and engaging the clutch-pulley to turn it in one direction, a clutch-dog or detent engaging the pulley to prevent back Ward motion, an arm pivotally supported from the chair and adapted to bear upon the floor, a toothed segment carried by said arm and engaging the pinion to turn it, a bevel-pinion meshing with the bevel-gear, and a flexible rotative connection between the shaft of said to the chair, and rotative clutch connection from said arm to the power-storage spring, substantially as described.

7 7. A fan attachment for rocking-chairs, comprising a frame securable to the bottom part of the chair, a shaft journaled in said frame, a bevel-gear mounted to turn upon bevel-pinion and the fan-holding shaft, substantially as described.

FRANCIS G. MERTZ. GEORGE E. MERTZ. Witnesses:

CHARLES H. ELLIS, W'ILLIAM H. WIEGAND. 

